5-15-14Home Saltwater AquariumThere are many details and considerations that need to be made when deciding to set up a saltwater aquarium salty at home. The process is not as simple as buying a tank then adding tap water and later adding fish. There is preparation in the aquarium that must be done before a species of fish can be introduced. I will first outline the preparation process and then explain how to maintain a successful saltwater aquarium at home. You must first decide the type and size of fish you plan to use. For my aquarium, I chose to keep it simple and use a clown fish. First of all, I would like to outline the process to follow when building a saltwater aquarium at home. Clean your aquarium with fresh water and a soft cloth or sponge. Do not use any type of chemical cleaners. Rinse it thoroughly and make sure all chemical residue is removed. You can now pour the gravel, sand or rocks, whatever substrate you have chosen to use, into the bottom of the aquarium, followed by salt water. Then you can either purchase pre-mixed (ready to use) salt water, or if you plan to use filtered water or tap water from the sink, be sure to 'obtain a mixture of sea salt. Tap water contains chemicals, minerals and additives that are not good for saltwater dwellers. Tap water contains substances that are toxic to your fish and will kill them. Once the appropriate tank size has been chosen and cleaned, a filtration system must be set up. The backbone of the filtration system is biological filtration. The biological filter uses bacteria present in the oceans to treat toxic waste (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) produced by tank occupants such as (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate), transforming them into waste...... environment paper......a pump would be best, but she clearly stated that air pumps were necessary. Air pumps create currents which, in turn, keep the water circulating. In doing so, the air pump avoids a bad aesthetic odor. But more importantly: by keeping the water flowing, air pumps provide constant water filtration. Without this, the water would stagnate and only part of it, that located near the filter, would become clean. A saltwater aquarium is very expensive and time consuming. There is a lot of maintenance before and after the inhabitants are put in the tank. When setting up a saltwater aquarium at home, one must be prepared to follow step-by-step instructions. When maintaining a saltwater aquarium at home, one must be diligent and efficient when it comes to checking the water and tank characteristics..